After She Said 'I Do'

Goodbye For Now, Amherst

And so the girls did just that. They planned their escape but it took some time to figure it all out; approximately two and a half months to be precise. Emily had been corresponding back and forth with an old childhood friend called Ruth, who had relocated nearly eighty miles east in Concord. She lived alone in the home she inherited after both of her parents passed away a few years prior. Not only did she inherit the house, she inherited every single thing, including their wealth that continued to be a constant cashflow as Ruth took over her father's business.

Ruth was a full-blown spinster. Emily explained in great detail of her and Sue's situation and Ruth gladly invited them to stay in her home for as long as they needed. Emily's plan was to write and continue working on publishing more of her work so she could support herself and Sue. She didn't expect Sue to work—and honestly, Ruth didn't expect either of the girls to work as she didn't mind housing them free of charge—they would all simply just share the household duties.

Sue and Emily weren't necessarily secretly running away—they decided it might not be the best idea to just go away without any contact and in reality, they didn't know if it really would be forever or not. They told the family that they would be going on a very long holiday to Concord but they would surely write back and forth. Mr. and Mrs. Dickinson didn't seem too phased by this and sort of just brushed it off to the side and said to have a nice time. No other questions about it. Lavinia on the other hand, well, she wasn't too pleased.

"I can't believe you guys are leaving me here, all alone, with mom and dad." Lavinia whined, helping Emily and Sue finish packing up their suitcases. "How long will you be gone, anyway?"

Emily and Sue looked at each other and then Emily turned to her sister, "A... a few months, maybe. I just really need to get away and go somewhere different to get some more inspiration for my writing, you know?"

"And, well..." Sue started, putting some folded clothing into her suitcase, "I don't think I can stay another day alone in the Evergreens. I also think a change of scenery will be nice."

Vinnie sighed, "Yeah, but for a few months? Do you really need to be gone that long? I'm—I'm going to miss you guys so much."

Emily gave her sister a soft look, "I will write to you constantly, Vin. And you can come out to Concord and visit any time."

There was a silence in the room for a moment while all three of the girls finished folding the last pieces of clothing lied out on the bed before tossing them into the suitcase.

Vinnie looked from Emily to Sue and back to Emily again. "You know I know, right?"

Sue and Emily's hearts started racing and they both grew hot.

"You know what?" Emily asked, acting confused.

Vinnie looked at her and crossed her arms. Her eyes bounced back from Emily to Sue again. "Come on. I'm not stupid." Vinnie said, arms still crossed.

This time Sue acted confused, "Enlighten us?"

"I know about you two. I—I saw you guys kissing, well, a lot. Many times over the years and once or twice in recent months." Vinnie confessed, looking down and then back up at the girls before continuing, "Are you two together? Does Austin know about this?"

Emily and Sue were taken aback but they knew they could not lie to her and they knew she was being honest when she told them she's seen them kissing before. They've kept it as discreet as possible, but they knew they were bound to get caught at some point.

Emily finally spoke, "Vin, I—we can explain."

Sue gulped and nodded—she was incredibly nervous.